Renewable energies were the leading source of electricity production in Washington state in 2021, with hydropower alone accounting for almost two thirds of the power generated. Natural gas ranked second, but by a wide margin, representing some 14.4 percent of Washington's electricity generation that year.

This file contains file geodatabases of the Mount St. Helens seismic zone (MSHSZ), Wind River valley (WRV) and Mount Baker (MB) geothermal play-fairway sites in the Washington Cascades. The geodatabases include input data (feature classes) and output rasters (generated from modeling and interpolation) from the geothermal play-fairway in Washington State, USA. These data were gathered and modeled to provide an estimate of the heat and permeability potential within the play-fairways based on: mapped volcanic vents, hot springs and fumaroles, geothermometry, intrusive rocks, temperature-gradient wells, slip tendency, dilation tendency, displacement, displacement gradient, max coulomb shear stress, sigma 3, maximum shear strain rate, and dilational strain rate at 200m and 3 km depth. In addition this file contains layer files for each of the output rasters. For details on the areas of interest please see the 'Phase 1 Technical Report' in the download package.

This submission also includes a file with the geothermal favorability of the Washington Cascade Range based off of an earlier statewide assessment. Additionally, within this file there are the maximum shear and dilational strain rate rasters for all of Washington State.

Between 2000 and 2024, the net generation of conventional hydroelectric power in the United States exhibited significant variability. In 2024 the country generated approximately *******terawatt hours (TWh) of hydroelectric power, a decrease from ****TWh in 2023. Future projections The highest generation in this period was recorded in 2011, with ***** TWh, reflecting the dependence of hydroelectric power on natural water cycles, meteorological patterns, and political influences. Hydroelectric capacity in the U.S. peaked at ****** gigawatts (GW) in 2022. Although continuous growth in capacity is expected, projected hydro capacity additions remain modest, with only slight increases anticipated up to 2050. Nevertheless, this commitment to maintaining and expanding hydroelectric capacity reflects its ongoing importance in the national energy portfolio. Regional focus Hydropower consumption in the U.S. has fluctuated in recent years, reaching ****quadrillion British thermal units (BTUs) in 2024. In 2022, the sector saw significant job growth of over 1,000 new positions compared to the previous year, with the number of employees rising to *****. Washington and California led U.S. hydroelectric production, with Washington producing over ** TWh and California producing nearly ** TWh in 2023. These states' contributions underscore the strategic importance of regional resources.

Six metrics were used to determine Population Vulnerability: global population size, annual occurrence in the California Current System (CCS), percent of the population present in the CCS, threat status, breeding score, and annual adult survival. Global Population size (POP)—to determine population size estimates for each species we gathered information tabulated by American Bird Conservancy, Birdlife International, and other primary sources. Proportion of Population in CCS (CCSpop)—for each species, we generated the population size within the CCS by averaging region-wide population estimates, or by combining state estimates for California, Oregon, and Washington for each species (if estimates were not available for a region or state, “NA” was recorded in place of a value) and then dividing the CCSpop value by the estimated global population size (POP) to yield the percentage of the population occurring in the CCS. Annual Occurrence in the CCS (AO)—for each species, we estimated the number of months per year within the CCS and binned this estimate into three categories: 1–4 months, 5–8 months, or 9–12 months. Threat Status (TS)—for each species, we used the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) species threat status (IUCN 2014) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife national threat status lists (USFWS 2014) to determine TS values for each species. If available, we also evaluated threat status values from state and international agencies. Breeding Score (BR)—we determined the degree to which a species breeds and feeds its young in the CCS according to 3 categories: breeds in the CCS, may breed in the CCS, or does not breed in the CCS. Adult Survival (AS)—for each species, we referenced information to estimate adult annual survival, because adult survival among marine birds in general is the most important demographic factor that can affect population growth rate and therefore inform vulnerability. These data support the following publication: Adams, J., Kelsey, E.C., Felis J.J., and Pereksta, D.M., 2016, Collision and displacement vulnerability among marine birds of the California Current System associated with offshore wind energy infrastructure: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2016-1154, 116 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161154. These data were revisied in June 2017 and the revision published in August 2017. Please be advised to use CCS_vulnerability_FINAL_VERSION_v9_PV.csv

The amount of fuel used to generate electricity depends on the efficiency of the power plant and the heat content of the fuel. Heat rate measures the efficiency of a generator or power plant and is based on the amount of energy used to generate one kilowatt of electricity. Heat rates (power plant efficiencies) depend on generator type, power plant emission controls, and some other factors. One metric ton of coal can generate 1,927 kilowatt hours of electricity, in comparison to 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas which can generate 99 kilowatt hours.

U.S. power plants The largest power plant in the United States is the hydroelectric power plant, Grand Coulee, located in Washington. It has a summer capacity of 7.08 gigawatts. Power plant costs can also depend on the type of technology being used as well as the location. The amount of energy generated by renewable technologies can also vary greatly, depending on size, technology, and location potential. For example, the measured efficiency of solar cells can vary greatly depending on the material used. In the United States, about 17.7 percent of electricity generated is derived from renewable sources.

Renewable Energy Group (REG) is the leading biodiesel producer by active production capacity in the United States. As of January 2025, REG had an annual capacity of nearly *** million gallons. REG operates *** biodiesel plants, the largest of which is located in Washington state.

Four metrics were used to determine Collision Vulnerability: Diurnal and nocturnal flight activity, flight-height (defined as time spent in rotor sweep zone), and macro-avoidance. Nocturnal flight activity (NFA) and diurnal flight activity (DFA)—Nocturnal and diurnal flight activity can influence the risk of collision; therefore, we used available information to estimate the amount of time each species spent flying during night and during day. Time spent in the rotor sweep zone (RSZt)— the percentage of time each species spends flying at the same height as wind turbine blades (as opposed to above or below the sweeping zone of the blades) will influence collision vulnerability. Based on flight-height analyses and published accounts, we estimated each species’ percentage of time flying within the rotor sweep zone (RSZ; 10-200 m above the water). Macro-avoidance (MA)—The macro-avoidance values for species indicate the species-specific probability of avoidance with wind power infrastructure. For each species, we derived this value from observed macro-avoidance (via human observation and radar) at existing offshore wind power sites. In cases where species-specific data were not available, we used information from similar taxa. These data support the following publication: Adams, J., Kelsey, E.C., Felis J.J., and Pereksta, D.M., 2016, Collision and displacement vulnerability among marine birds of the California Current System associated with offshore wind energy infrastructure: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2016-1154, 116 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161154. These data were updated in August 2017: 5 values in the relative displacement vulnerability column have been updated. Users are advised to use the updated CSV: CCS_vulnerability_FINAL_VERSION_v10_CV.csv